


Valediction

by factorielle



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-05
Updated: 2010-05-05
Packaged: 2017-10-09 16:57:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/89640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/factorielle/pseuds/factorielle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It doesn't hurt. [Spoiler for the Nishiura/Bijou game]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Valediction

_It doesn't hurt_, he says. _I'm fine. I can do it._ Over and over, variations on a theme. Over the past months, he's heard Mihashi say each and every one of these. Maybe he's just repeating now, because Mihashi always gets back up, always faces the batter no matter how bad he falls. And catchers are better than pitchers; he's always held this to be true.

So he can do it. It's only two more innings.

But Momokan doesn't listen. She calls out changes, and he knows them to be wrong. All wrong. Nishihiro isn't ready, Mizutani can't handle third base, Tajima needs to focus on getting them more runs.

And what will Mihashi do, alone on the mound with no one to tell him what to do? It's useless, and he almost says that, almost tells her. If she's going to switch him out then she has to let Hanai pitch, or Oki. It won't make a difference. Mihashi can't, won't pitch without him. He made sure of that from the moment they met.

He looks confused now, as she tells him to get back. _Everyone's waiting._ Let them wait. Mihashi isn't going back on his own.

His hand moves on its own, grabbing his pitcher's wrist. _It's okay,_ he tries to say. _I understand.I won't make you go back by yourself._ But no words are coming out so he says it differently, tries to get it through by the pressure of his grip on the skin. He's promised to guide this hand in getting them to victory. Without him, Mihashi is lost. He knows it himself, has said it multiple times before.

"Abe-kun," his pitcher stutters like so many times before. He won't get mad, this time, just wait for the words that will let him know that they have an understanding, that they're working together.

"Sit down. You need to ice your leg."

It does hurt, after all.


End file.
